A patient is often described as presenting with symptoms of either objective or subjective tinnitus. In both clinical and academic contexts, there is no consensus in the classification of tinnitus subcategories. It is common for tinnitus to aggravate or be aggravated by mental health conditions. Individuals who are dual sensory impaired (deaf and blind) may be confused by tinnitus because visual information does not help them understand that their tinnitus is not an external sound. Tinnitus often co-occurs with hearing loss, and the bothersome effects of tinnitus may be alleviated by the use of hearing aids. The severity of tinnitus experienced by patients may vary or depend on comorbidities.
4 These effects may be temporary, but can be permanent, especially with respect to aminoglycoside antibiotics and cancer chemotherapeutics (in particular cisplatin). Tinnitus can also be a side effect of potentially ototoxic drugs, ranging from aspirin taken to alleviate arthritic pain to aminoglycoside antibiotics and life-saving drugs used to treat cancer. 1 Traumatic brain injury (concussion) is a common cause of tinnitus in both veterans and nonveterans. Military personnel are commonly exposed to high levels of noise and, indeed, tinnitus is the most common service-connected disability among U.S. 3 People may acquire tinnitus and hearing loss when they are exposed to hazardous levels of industrial, recreational, or military noise. 2 According to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), noise exposure is the largest attributed cause of tinnitus. The prevalence of tinnitus increases with age and noise exposure. As a symptom, it may be associated with a number of conditions-ranging from impacted wax to acoustic tumors-that warrant medical attention.
1 CausesĪ variety of conditions and experiences can lead to tinnitus, but its exact physiology is still unknown. An estimated 16 percent of the American population (50 million people) experience tinnitus to some extent, with up to 16 million seeking medical help and 2 million being unable to lead a normal life.
Tinnitus is a distressing condition that can disturb one’s day-to-day life in a number of ways including distress and annoyance, disruption of sleep, anxiety, and depression. Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an external auditory stimulus. Background and Objectives for the Systematic Review Background Prevalence